Costa Rica route
Santa Teresa to San Jose Shuttle Bus
Shared shuttle
$60 per person
Private shuttle
$240 per trip
Local Operator
Based in Santa Teresa
Certified Company
Insured and professional
Family Owned
Personal local service
Reliable Service
Door-to-door travel
Route overview
Tropical Tours Shuttles: from Santa Teresa to San Jose, we offer daily shared shuttle bus services and private minibus transportation. Price ranges starting at: $60 per person on shared shuttles departing at 06:45am and 12:45pm. $240 per trip for a private minibus. It’s a 5 hours 30 minutes (depending on the road conditions) ride from Santa Teresa beach in Puntarenas to San Jose in Costa Rica.
Select your service to San Jose:
Shared shuttle selection
$60 per person
Door-to-door
- Departing time
- 06:45am
- Travel time
- 5 hours 30 minutes
- Arrival time
- 12:15 pm
$60 per person
Door-to-door
- Departing time
- 12:45pm
- Travel time
- 5 hours 30 minutes
- Arrival time
- 6:15 pm
Private shuttle selection
$240 per trip
Door-to-door
- Departing time
- Flexible
- Travel time
- 5 hours
- Arrival time
- 5 hours later
Santa Teresa to San Jose options and details
Shared Shuttle from Santa Teresa to San Jose details:
- Bus departure time from Santa Teresa beach area: 06:45am and 12:45pm
- Departure place: at your location (hotel, hostel or rental house) in Santa Teresa
- Bus arrival time at San Jose area: 12:15 pm or 6:15 pm
- Trip estimate duration: 5 hours 30 minutes
- Shuttle service frequency: daily service
- Vehicle: 10 to 15 passenger minibus
- Price per person: $60
- Surfboard fees: $15 per board under 6 feet; $20 per board 6 feet or larger.
Additional information:
- This service is operated by Tropical Tours Shuttles. Normally our vehicles are branded with our logo.
- Bus stops are provided along the way in specific locations.
- Our door-to-door minibus shuttle service will take you safely and directly from your hotel, hostel or rental house in Santa Teresa beach to San Jose in Costa Rica.
- Surfboards on shared shuttles are $15 each for boards under 6 feet and $20 each for boards 6 feet or larger.
- We set a departing time for each destination, however the minibus has to go through town picking everyone up and that takes a few extra minutes.
- Costa Rica is a beautiful country, but the infrastructure is uncertain and our geography does not help either, so some sections of the route may include bumpy and dusty roads on your way to San Jose.
Private Shuttle from Santa Teresa to San Jose details:
- Private shuttle departure time from Santa Teresa beach area: Flexible pickup time
- Departure place: at your location (hotel, hostel or rental house) in Santa Teresa
- Private shuttle arrival time at San Jose area: about 5 hours after departure
- Trip estimate duration: 5 hours
- Private service frequency: on request with advance reservation
- Private minibus price per trip: $240
- Optional ferry add-on: Add $100 if you want the same private minibus to travel with you on the ferry; otherwise we can arrange a second vehicle waiting on the other side.
- Surfboards: Included at no extra charge on private shuttles.
Additional information:
- Private driver and door-to-door transportation from Santa Teresa beach to San Jose are included.
- Base price covers up to 4 passengers; additional passengers are $25 each.
- Late-night pickups may include a $50 after-hours charge.
- Advance reservation of at least 24 hours is recommended.
My wife and I took a private shuttle from Santa Teresa to San Jose and the entire trip was seamless. The first shuttle driver met us at our hotel and took us to the ferry where he purchased tickets for us. Our second driver was waiting for us when we got off the ferry. Both drivers and vehicles were timely and very professional. I would not hesitate to use Tropical Tours again.
Tony Yannone
Big thanks to the outstanding service of JC who was extremely kind and helpful in making my booking. Trip from Santa Teresa to San Jose was smooth and well organised and great value. Thank you to everyone at the company, highly recommended!
Robert Braine
Tripadvisor
Exceptionally friendly and reliable service!
I used Tropical Tours Shuttles for a private transfer between Santa Teresa and San Jose. Everything was so seamless, from initiating my inquiry on WhatsApp and having them answer all my questions to meeting my drivers. The transfer included a trip on the Puntarenas-Paquera ferry and my initial driver got my ticket and made sure I was situated to get on board, and called ahead to my driver on the other side to let him know I was on my way. When I arrived, he was waiting for me and checked on me several times throughout the trip to see if I wanted to stop anywhere to eat or use a bathroom. Friendly service from both the office and the drivers made this worth the price. Pura Vida!
Nick
Tripadvisor
Perfect
I used the shuttle twice: from Tamarindo to Santa Teresa, then Santa Teresa to San Jose. On time, efficient, good driver — it’s the best service around. Keep doing it!!!
franckrigalpeyrot
Tripadvisor
Profesional shuttle
This shuttle was very efficient in picking us up from our hotel to ferry to San Jose. The staff is friendly and drives well.
Jlu99
Tripadvisor
Good service
Good service, friendly drivers and punctual. If you go from Mal Pais to San Jose you have to leave the bus, walk onto the ferry and take another bus in Puntarenas. Anyway the ferry ride was joyful.
Marc E
Tripadvisor
Transfer Santa Teresa to San Jose
Was a good transfer, the only thing that was weird, we had to take another bus after the ferry and carried our bags on the ferry.
michellegrunder
Tripadvisor
Safe, practical, and relax
It was incredibly easy and comfortable to take this shuttle from Santa Teresa to San Jose. Absolutely not worth it to drive your own car, get the ferry, and get lost 🙂 The driver couldn’t have been any nicer and more helpful. And then one can’t really beat these prices. I absolutely recommend taking the shuttle.
Tim L
Tripadvisor
Convenient Ride
The service that we got was a Private Shuttle from Santa Teresa to San Jose. The experience was amazing… A van was at our doors in Santa Teresa to pick us up, super clean, the driver was really nice, all safety requirements. He dropped us in Paquera to take the ferry (tickets were included when I paid) then when we were in Puntarenas a van with a new driver was at the entrance waiting for us. It was so organized, loved the ride, comfortable and I felt safe. Definitely, I’ll ride with you guys again! I definitely loved it, you were so nice helping via email to help me make the decision and coordinate the shuttle.
Alexandra A
Tripadvisor
Always reliable and on time
I have taken the Trop Tours shuttle for the past four years to and from Santa Teresa to San Jose. The shuttle is always prompt, the drivers are friendly, and there is never any worry they will forget you. They are easy to contact on WhatsApp. Have also taken specific tours with them — Curu and Tortuga — and find things similarly seamless and well-run. Would absolutely recommend!
Anna D
Tripadvisor
Reliable and Comfortable
The trip from Santa Teresa to San Jose is long but at least we chose this shuttle service with WiFi and on time. I also had a problem during the booking payment, and they helped me and got me a refund straight away. Very satisfied!
FlaviaCru666
Tripadvisor
Fast and easy!
Super easy and on-time travel from Santa Teresa to San Jose. We took the 6:30am morning shuttle which picked us up on the main road near our Airbnb. We arrived in Tambor at 8:00am where we got dropped off and waited for the 9:00am ferry to Puntarenas. The ferry was fun and lively. After getting off the ferry, we were quickly met by a new driver on the other side. The trip to San Jose from there was very safe and flew by. I would definitely do it this way again.
lucykatherine7
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